In the European Union (EU), water is coming under increasing pressure from the continuous growth in demand for sufficient quantities of good-quality water for a whole range of uses. This directive seeks to protect and improve the quality of water.

ACT

Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy

SUMMARY

WHAT DOES THE DIRECTIVE DO?

It establishes rules to halt deterioration in the status of EU water bodies and achieve ‘good status’ for Europe's rivers, lakes and groundwater by 2015.

Specifically, this includes:

protecting all forms of water (inland*, surface*, transitional*, coastal and ground*);

restoring the ecosystems in and around these bodies of water;

reducing pollution in water bodies;

guaranteeing sustainable water usage by individuals and businesses.

KEY POINTS

The legislation places clear responsibilities on national authorities. They have to:

identify the individual river basins on their territory - that is, the surrounding land areas that drain into particular river systems;

designate authorities to manage these basins in line with the EU rules;

analyse the features of each river basin, including the impact of human activity and an economic assessment of water use;

monitor the status of the water in each basin;

register protected areas, such as those used for drinking water, which require special attention;

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - A blueprint to safeguard Europe's water resources (COM(2012) 673 final of 14.11.2012).

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - The Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive: actions towards the ‘good status’ of EU water and to reduce flood risks (COM(2015) 120 final of 9.3.2015).